Body contact layouts for semiconductor structures

Abstract

Body contact layouts for semiconductor structures are disclosed. In at least one exemplary embodiment, a semiconductor structure comprises: a plurality of gates disposed on a semiconductor layer, each gate extending parallel to a y-axis in a coordinate space; a source region disposed between two of the plurality of gates; a plurality of body contacts disposed in each source region; and wherein a portion of each source region, adjacent to the gate, has a width extending parallel to the y-axis that is greater than the width of the source region parallel to the y-axis at a distance on an x-axis from the gate.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A semiconductor circuit, comprising:
 a plurality of field-effect transistors (FETs); 
 a first FET driver coupled to a first FET of the plurality of FETs; and 
 a second FET driver coupled to a second FET of the plurality of FETs, wherein at least one FET of the plurality of FETs includes:
 a plurality of gates disposed on a semiconductor layer, each gate extending parallel to a y-axis in a coordinate space; 
 a source region disposed in the semiconductor layer between two of the plurality of gates; and 
 a plurality of body contacts disposed in the source region, wherein each body contact is in direct physical contact with a respective gate of the plurality of gates and has a width extending parallel to the y-axis that decreases as the body contact approaches the respective gate of the plurality of gates from approximately the center of the body contact. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The semiconductor circuit of  claim 1 , wherein each body contact of the plurality of body contacts has sides that form the shape of a polygon or a modified polygon at a working surface of the semiconductor layer. 
     
     
       3. The semiconductor circuit of  claim 2 , wherein the polygon or modified polygon has a side that is canted from a side of a gate of the plurality of gates. 
     
     
       4. The semiconductor circuit of  claim 2 , wherein the polygon is one of the following:
 a square, a rectangle, a parallelogram, a trapezoid, a pentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, a star or a quadrilateral. 
 
     
     
       5. The semiconductor circuit of  claim 2 , wherein the modified polygon is a polygon that has at least one modified corner, side, or both. 
     
     
       6. The semiconductor circuit of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one modified corner is a rounded corner. 
     
     
       7. The semiconductor circuit of  claim 1 , wherein each body contact of the plurality of body contacts has sides that form the shape of substantially a circle. 
     
     
       8. A system comprising:
 a power source configured to provide a voltage signal; 
 a voltage regulator configured to regulate the voltage signal from the power source and produce an output voltage signal; 
 a load coupled to the voltage regulator to receive the output voltage signal; and 
 wherein at least one of the voltage regulator, the power source or the load includes a field-effect transistor (FET) used in producing the output voltage signal and wherein the FET includes:
 a plurality of gates disposed on a semiconductor layer, each gate extending parallel to a y-axis in a coordinate space; 
 a source region disposed in the semiconductor layer between two of the plurality of gates; 
 a plurality of body contacts disposed in the source region; and 
 wherein each body contact is in direct physical contact with a respective gate of the plurality of gates and has a width, adjacent to the gate and extending parallel to the y-axis, that is less than the width of the of the body contact parallel to the y-axis at a distance on the x-axis from the respective gate. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , wherein each body contact of the plurality of body contacts has sides that form the shape of a polygon or a modified polygon at a working surface of the semiconductor layer. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the polygon or modified polygon has a side that is canted from a side of a gate of the plurality of gates. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the polygon is one of the following: a square, a rectangle, a parallelogram, a trapezoid, a pentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, a star or a quadrilateral. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 9  wherein the modified polygon is a polygon that has at least one modified corner, side, or both. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one modified corner is a rounded corner. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 9 , wherein each body contact of the plurality of body contacts includes at least one side with a normal that is oriented with an angular deviation of between substantially 5 degrees and 85 degrees from the normal of a side of a gate of the plurality of gates. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 9 , wherein each body contact of the plurality of body contacts has sides that form the shape of substantially a circle. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the FET comprises a power MOSFET.